#@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@#
@@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@@
§$**†«,,,,                                          ,,,,«†**$§
§$*«,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,«*$§
@§$$$*†«^,             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ,^«†*$$$§@
#@@§$*†«^,      ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,####     ,^«†*$§@@#
@$*«^,,,,,             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ,,,,,^«*$@
@@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@@
@@§$$*†«^, ON EARTH (THE  PLANET  WHERE  I LIVE)  A ,^«†*$$§@@
§$**†††«^, LOT OF  US HAVE  ANTENNAS ON OUR  HOUSES ,^«†††**$§
§§§*«^^^^, OR   BALCONIES,   WE  HAVE  BUILT  LARGE ,^^^^«*§§§
#@@§$*†«^, ANTENNAS  FOR  LARGER  BANDWITH, WE HAVE ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^,      BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR     ,^«†*$§@@#
§§$$*««^^,    SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM   ,^^««*$$§§
#@@§$*†«^, INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT  LARGE  AS FUCK ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^,              ANTENNA ARRAYS              ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^, WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA  WITH A ,^«†*$§@@#
@@@§$*†«^,          DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH.         ,^«†*$§@@@
§§$***†«^,                                          ,^«†***$§§
##@@§*†«^, WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR  POSITION IN THE ,^«†*§@@##
@@$*†††«^,      SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS     ,^«†††*$@@
#@@§$*†«^, PLACEMENT  IN   THE   GALAXY,  AND   OUR ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^, GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE  LOCAL CLUSTER, ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^, AND «OUR«  LOCAL CLUSTERS  PLACE  IN THE ,^«†*$§@@#
@@@§$*†«^,          GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS          ,^«†*$§@@@
@@$*†^,,,,                                          ,,,,^†*$@@
##@§$*†«^, AND  WE'RE  MOVING  AROUND  THE  SUN  AT ,^«†*$§@##
@$††^^,,,, VELOCITY  AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ,,,,^^††$@
#@@§$*†«^, CENTER OF  THE  GALAXY AT  VELOCITY  AND ,^«†*$§@@#
§§§*«^,,,, THE GALAXY  IS  MOVING TOWARD  ANDROMEDA ,,,,^«*§§§
§§§*†««,,,   AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE    ,,,««†*§§§
@@@§$*†«^, AROUND  THE GALAXY. AND WE  AS A SPECIES ,^«†*$§@@@
§$$*«^,,,, HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ,,,,^«*$$§
##@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@##
§§*†^,,,,, AND  DESPITE  ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL  OUR ,,,,,^†*§§
§$$†††^^,,   (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR    ,,^^†††$$§
#@@§$*†«^, RADIO  PROGRAMMES OUT  IN FUCKING  SPACE ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^, AT  THE  SPEED  OF LIGHT (LIGHT  IS  OUR ,^«†*$§@@#
@@@§$*†«^, MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!),  ,^«†*$§@@@
#@@§$*†«^,      DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE      ,^«†*$§@@#
##@§$*†«^,     COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS     ,^«†*$§@##
§§$$$*†«^,    FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS   ,^«†*$$$§§
##@§$*†«^, BEAMING OF  ALL  OUR  SECRETS  IN  EVERY ,^«†*$§@##
§*†††«,,,,          DIRECTION KNOWN TO US,          ,,,,«†††*§
#@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@#
§$†^,,,,,, NO   ,    ONE    ,   HAS   ,    ANSWERED ,,,,,,^†$§
@§$*†††«^,                                          ,^«†††*$§@
§*†^,,,,,,             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ,,,,,,^†*§
#@@§$*†«^,      ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,####     ,^«†*$§@@#
@@@§$*†«^,             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ,^«†*$§@@@
@§$*«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«*$§@
@@§§$*†«^,              SO WHY IS THAT?             ,^«†*$§§@@
@§*«,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,«*§@
@§*«,,,,,, MOST  OPPONENTS  TO INTELLIGENT  LIFE IN ,,,,,,«*§@
##@@§$*«^, THE  UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU  NEED ,^«*$§@@##
@§*«,,,,,, A  CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER  STAR AND  THE ,,,,,,«*§@
@§$$$*†«^, PLANET  NEEDS  TO  BE  AT  A  SEE-AND-SO ,^«†*$$$§@
@@§§$*†«^, DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE  STAR (LIKE THERE ,^«†*$§§@@
@§§§$*†«^,           HAS TO BE A PLANET!)           ,^«†*$§§§@
#@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@#
§$†«,,,,,, BUT   REALLY  ISN'T  THAT   KEEPING  THE ,,,,,,«†$§
@@@§$*†«^,      DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX?      ,^«†*$§@@@
#@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@#
#@@§$*†«^, I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE  HAVE NO ,^«†*$§@@#
§$$†«««,,, IDEA WHAT  WE'RE  DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ,,,«««†$$§
##@§$*†«^,                  SHOWS)                  ,^«†*$§@##
#@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@#
##@@§*†«^,             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ,^«†*§@@##
@@$$$*†«^,      ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,####     ,^«†*$$$@@
##@§$*†«^,             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ,^«†*$§@##
@@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@@
#@@§$*†«^, I'M  GONNA GO SMOKE MY  THIRD  CIGARETTE ,^«†*$§@@#
@$†«««,,,, THIS  YEAR AND  TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ,,,,«««†$@
@@@§$*†«^,         FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING        ,^«†*$§@@@
@§*«^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^«*§@
#@@§$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$§@@#
§§***†««^,                                          ,^««†***§§
@@§$$*†«^,                                          ,^«†*$$§@@
@@$†^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^†$@@